Buddha Knows His Stuff

Over twenty-five centuries ago, in the 6th century BCE, at the age of 35, Buddha achieved enlightenment after seven days of meditation under the Bodi tree.

In contrast, in the 21st century AD, at the age of 79, Marc Cooper is beginning to grasp the depth of his teachings in the comfort of a well-designed office chair sitting under a ceiling.

Buddha is one of the most tenured faculty members in a cohort of saints, philosophers, poets, masters, roshis, rabbis, and aboriginal elders. We draw our teachings from myriad sources, enriching our understanding and broadening our perspective of being an elder.

Buddha’s lessons are not dependent on age, ethnicity, location, era, time, socioeconomic status, or family of origin. They apply to all human beings throughout time and place.

Buddha's lessons are considered non-religious at the institute because they transcend specific dogmas or beliefs about gods or deities. Instead, they focus on universal truths that anyone can apply, regardless of their religious background or beliefs.

Buddha teaches Noble Truths 101. This lifetime-long course provides a practical framework for understanding the nature of existence and the causes of suffering. At the institute, his teachings give our beginning members new ways to see themselves and their aging, and practical tools to navigate growing old.  

The curriculum requires you to know, understand, and practice the four noble truths, which are:

1.   Suffering: The first truth acknowledges that suffering is an inherent part of life. This suffering can manifest in various forms, including physical pain, mental anguish, and the general dissatisfaction that comes from the impermanent nature of existence.

Consider the state of our country, the world, and your own everyday life. The increased intensity of suffering is palpable. Our nation is engulfed in hate, violence, and chaos. The earth itself is in distress. And your daily life is filled with uncertainty and disquiet. If these aren’t a cause for suffering, what is? This is the reality we face, a testament to the first noble truth. 

2.   The Origin of Suffering: The second of Buddha’s truths teaches that the cause of suffering is craving or attachment. Our desires, attachments, and cravings are what keep us clinging to impermanent things, directly leading to suffering.

Nothing endures. Impermanence is a cosmic law. Once you become aware and conscious of impermanence, it becomes integral to how you perceive yourself and the world around you. Knowing nothing lasts makes life much easier. When you live that nothing lasts, you can let go, unclasp, unpin, and unfasten from holding on or anxious striving.

Christ knew. “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy and where thieves break in and steal.”

3.   The Cessation of Suffering: The third truth offers hope by asserting that suffering can be ended. One can attain a state of liberation, peace, and freedom from suffering by overcoming craving and attachment.

It's so much easier said than done. Our culture, neighbors, schools, and screens train us to crave. Unlike other cultures crave much more modestly, whereas we crave at a meta-level. Of course, we are a consumer-driven economy. Craving is the engine. Nothing is enough.

Even when you get what you want, that dopamine high doesn’t last. The moment of “wow,” that high from achievement or acquiring, doesn’t last because whatever it is—thoughts, actions, relationships, material stuff, information—it’s all impermanent.

4.   The Path to the Cessation of Suffering: The fourth truth outlines the Eightfold Path, a practical guide to overcoming suffering.

a.    Right View: Understanding the nature of reality, including the Four Noble Truths and the law of cause and effect.

b.   Right Intention: Cultivating wholesome intentions by abandoning attachments and aversion, goodwill, and compassion.

c.    Right Speech is speaking truthfully, kindly, and wisely, avoiding harmful speech such as lying, gossiping, or harsh words.

d.   Right Action: Acting ethically and morally, abstaining from harming living beings, stealing, and engaging in sexual misconduct.

e.    Right Livelihood: Maintaining an honest, ethical livelihood that does not harm others.

f.     Right Effort: Cultivating a dedicated and diligent effort to overcome unwholesome qualities and cultivate wholesome ones.

g.   Right Mindfulness means developing awareness and mindfulness in all activities and observing thoughts, feelings, and sensations without attachment or aversion.

h.    Right Concentration: Cultivating mental focus and concentration through practices such as meditation deepens insight and wisdom.

The homework for Noble Truths 101 is a bitch. Knowing and being mindful of these four noble truths and practicing the eightfold path forces you to redesign yourself to adapt your consciousness and actions to these principles. And that’s the point. Redesign leads to becoming an elder.

Impermanence, known only on an intellectual level, has very little power. If it did, it would affect how people live, how they relate to growing old, and how they relate to their death and dying. When you cling to or grasp anything, it has you; you do not have it. It takes more than intellect to extricate yourself from your grasping.

The course must be taken annually until you get your master's degree. I’ve been retaking Buddha’s course every year for the last decade and a half. My best score on his final was 67. Fortunately, Buddha has compassion and grades on a curve.

I have seen and experienced the tremendous benefits gained in every dimension and direction of my life by holding impermanence as absolute truth. I have a much greater sense of being free. I let things go way more easily. I am more flexible. I am more patient. I appreciate more. I stopped competing with others. I laugh more because I know, really know, that every thought is also impermanent.

By mediation, reflection, and contemplation, I cast off from what I have been. I remove the mooring lines that secure my vessel to the dock, which is made up of planks of identity, ego, personality, and memory. Soon, I will be on open water, the main sail unfurled in the warm sun, in calm waters, directed by a perfect wind, sailing through life rather than trudging through life.

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Open Sanga Call / Guest Registration HERE 5/22/2024, 4:00 pm to 5:20 pm PT